Without a doubt, the Fortnite meta has been in a constant state of flux ever since Epic Games introduced the Battle Royale portion of the title as free-to-play back in 2017, so it should come as no surprise that the video game developer has decided to make some alterations to the multiplayer sandbox survival title yet again. To be specific, the studio has now implemented some changes to both building materials and SMGs in a bid to make them more balanced.

According to Epic, today’s balance update for Fortnite will see an increase in initial building health on all structures, and will also nerf the potency of the Compact SMG and the Drum Gun, as well as the firearms’ total spawn rate in the hybrid construction shooter’s map. To get a more precise idea of how the aforementioned items have been affected by the latest patch, check out the itemized sets of changes directly below:

Building Material Buff

  • Wood wall initial HP increased from 80 to 90 Stone wall initial HP increased from 80 to 100 Metal wall initial HP increased from 80 to 110

Compact SMG Nerf

  • Reduced damage from 22/21 to 21/20 Reduced magazine size from 50 to 40

Drum Gun Nerf

  • Reduced falloff range damage from 80% to 70% at 3500 units Reduced falloff range damage from 65% to 55% at 5000+ units Added environmental damage fall off matching player damage fall off Decreased jumping accuracy by 5% Decreased targeting accuracy by 10% Reduced spawn rate from chests and floor loot by 40%

With these changes having been brought to Fortnite, it will be interesting to see if more players’ strategies start to rely on building cover on the fly for defense, and whether or not their taste for SMGs will decline. Bearing this in mind, perhaps the new double barreled shotgun will become the preferred choice in combat, especially since many will attest to its ability to wreck the competition when used effectively.

Taking all of this into account, while some might consider these mid-patch changes as smaller tweaks to Fortnite’s meta, one could argue that they are indicative of the way in which Epic Games is taking the title. With SMGs being much weaker, and with building materials getting a buff, the developer might be shifting the game toward one that involves more strategy than simply plowing through the competition with a steady stream of bullets.

Fortnite is available now for iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with an Android release planned for this summer.

Source: Epic Games